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A new life for MABEL at the Chicago Field Museum

7/31/2014

From: Marcin Szczepanski

Michigan Engineering

MABEL, once dubbed the world's fasted running bipedal robot, has served her tenure as the primary research robot of U-M engineering professor Jessy Grizzle, and now sits in the biomechanics exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum. The robot will be on exhibit until January 4th, 2015.

A New Life for MABEL: The Chicago Field Museum

7/23/2014

MABEL, once dubbed the world's fasted running bipedal robot, has served her tenure as the primary research robot of U-M engineering professor Jessy Grizzle, and now sits in the biomechanics exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum.

MABEL, once dubbed the world's fasted running bipedal robot, has served her tenure as the primary research robot of U-M engineering professor Jessy Grizzle, and now sits in the biomechanics exhibit at the Chicago Field Museum.

Prof. Grizzle, a Jerry W. and Carol L. Levin Professor of Engineering in the EECS and mechanical engineering departments at U-M, developed MABEL in coordination with Jonathan Hurst of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon.

MABEL was designed to be both a robust walker and a fast runner. It pushes the state of the art in bipedal mechanism design and provides an opportunity for effective control design methodology to maximize the robot's energy efficiency, speed, and stability.

Grizzle said his experience during MABEL's departure is similar to a parent sending their kid off to college.

"It’s mixed emotions," Grizzle said. "You are proud that they are going off to college, but you got a lot invested in them emotionally and you are sad to see them go."

Grizzle is now working (again with Hurst) on MARLO, his next generation bipedal robot.

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